UFC fighter Tyrell Fortune faced a dramatic U-turn after the announcers made a humiliating blunder on Saturday night.
Fortune made his UFC debut in Seattle ten years after turning professional in MMA at the weekend, facing Marcin Tybura.
However, the biggest talking point of the bout came outside the octagon when the heavyweight was forced to return to the cage.
The three-round bout went the distance, with the decision coming down to the judges’ scorecards.
Yet, MMA fans were confident that the result would unanimously go in Fortune’s favor over the Polish veteran.
However, they were left stunned when announcer Bruce Buffer read out Tybura’s name as the winner rather than the 35-year-old.
Tyrell Fortune was eventually declared the winner after the announcer read the wrong name
Fortune made his UFC debut in Seattle against Marcin Tybura on Saturday
Upon hearing the result, Fortune exited the cage and began heading down the tunnel before officials finally caught the error.
‘We have a mistake here,’ UFC commentator Brendan Fitzgerald explained.
‘Mistake made in the announcement of Marcin Tybura, so we’re going to get Tyrell Fortune back in there. He didn’t expect his moment to happen like this, so we apologise for that. Bruce Buffer back on the mic again.’
Officials called him back to the octagon where Buffer apologized for his mistake and eventually announced the correct winner.
‘Ladies and gentlemen, I apologize for the mix-up,’ Buffer said. ‘The scoring is 29-28, 29-28, and 30-27 to the winner by unanimous decision, Tyrell Fortune.’
Fortune, a former Division II national champion wrestler, has faced a long journey to the UFC fighting the majority of his career under the Bellator banner.
‘I was so upset with myself,’ Fortune said following the match, according to ESPN. ‘I felt I didn’t do enough. I was just upset. With two weeks’ notice, I feel like I did a good job, but I also need to come with a better performance next time.’
‘Man, that was an emotional drop and then a high again,’ he added of the mix-up. ‘Once I was walking out of the Octagon I was just upset and frustrated with myself that I didn’t get the performance that I felt that I could.
‘It was a little upsetting, feeling that I lost,’ he said. ‘But them having to come back in and get the win and getting my hand raised made everything feel right.’
Fortune moved to 18-3 in MMA and will instantly enter the UFC heavyweight rankings when they are updated on Monday.
